The Detroit Red Wings announced today that Michal Postava, Nate Danielson and John Leonard have been reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins.
Postava came up to the Red Wings on an emergency call-up following John Gibson's injury. Leonard, on the other hand, joined the Red Wings following injuries to Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton. The most notable reassignment of the three is Nate Danielson, who spent four of the last five games as a healthy scratch for the Red Wings.
In 13 games this season, Danielson registered just two assists.
The major implication here comes from two players that should soon come off injured reserve. Per head coach Todd McLellan, both Marco Kasper and Mason Appleton should come off injured reserve at some point in the Red Wings' road trip. The team is set for a tough November, so any help they can get from Kasper and Appleton will be imperative to their success.
What this trip to Grand Rapids means for Nate Danielson
This season has been a tough one for Danielson so far. While he's played primarily on the fourth line, he's had a few auditions on the team's top-six, failing to make much of an impact early on. To make matters worse, he found himself on the other end of a healthy scratch on multiple nights, eventually finding himself out of the lineup altogether.
Danielson finished his 13 games playing an average of 10:52 a night. His average time on ice came just above Sheldon Dries, Keegan Kolesar and Carter Mazur.
In Grand Rapids, Danielson will have some steep competition for a role on the top-six. The top line of Ondrej Becher, Dominik Shine and Carter Bear is one of the most dominant in the AHL. On the second line, Wilmer Skoog centers Noah Dower-Nilsson and Jesse Kiiskinen. It's likely that we'll see a shake up of the lines once Sheldon Dries, the team's de facto top center, returns to Grand Rapids.
Unless the Griffins decide to move Skoog to the bottom-six, Danielson will likely take on a role on the third line between Chase Stillman and Dylan James. This is a defense-first line built to stifle scoring attempts while still generating offense, so Danielson may be a great fit here.
Kasper, Appleton set to return
The good news is that the Red Wings are getting some reinforcements. Marco Kasper's return should help shore up some center depth, while Mason Appleton brings value on the penalty kill in a depth role. If Kasper can return to form from his impressive rookie season, the Red Wings will have a good one-two-three punch of Emmitt Finnie, Kasper and Andrew Copp.
Appleton, on the other hand, doesn't bring a whole lot besides some solid defensive play. It's unclear what sort of role he'll fill with the Red Wings, who are in need of offense more than anything else. Perhaps he'll help stabilize the fourth line, bringing J.T. Compher and Keegan Kolesar a little extra defensive help.
If the Red Wings want to make more of an impact offensively, though, Appleton won't cut it.
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